MAKING MAGIC

Meet Brittany Richardson, the Imaginative and Determined
Mind Behind Her Successful Small-Business: Main Street Ears.

Article and Photography by Victoria Arnold

The Walt Disney Company has been inspiring millions with the magic of its animation, shows, music, and most importantly, its theme parks. Following the steps of its sister, Disneyland, Walt Disney World Resort made its debut on October 1, 1971. Welcoming, guests over the last 47 years, Disney’s legacy has gone on to inspire other artists and business-minded individuals, and Brittany Richardson is among them.

“I’ve always been a huge dreamer,” Richardson says. “I’ve sometimes had a hard time staying in touch with reality.”

Richardson shares her creativity and imaginative ability with one of her most important influences, Walt Disney himself. “Disney said ‘It’s fun to do the impossible’ and I relate to that very much. I don’t want to just sit in a bubble. And why shouldn’t I want to dream big and try to do the impossible? Why would I want to sit in a bubble?”

Through her determination and passion, Richardson has achieved what many consider to be impossible—structuring an entire business through designing and making mouse ears.

Richardson has been inspired by the magic of Disney for the past few years now, but she explains that there’s been magic in her life for a long time. Growing up, Richardson faced many hardships. Originally coming from a broken home, Richardson was adopted at seven years old by her first-grade teacher, Cheryl Carr. “I LITERALLY have a ‘Matilda’ story,” she states.
However, Richardson also quickly paid credit to her faith as well. “I would’ve never gotten to where I am today without my belief in Jesus Christ,” she says. “He’s the reason I’m here and doing this—He’s the best magic I’ve encountered so far.” With her strong belief in her faith, she began to pursue her creativity and imagination.

Richardson’s passion for Disney spiked in her early 20s. After marrying her husband, Jared, the couple’s lives quickly changed almost immediately after they were married. “Everything changed on our honeymoon,” Richardson recalls. “We were supposed to go to Nantucket, Massachusetts, but we changed our plans at the last minute and decided to go to Disney World instead.”

At first Richardson was unphased by the change. She remembers that “I grew up with Disney as a kid and loved it just as much as the average person does…and then I went to Disney World.”

It was during this trip, their first trip to Disney World together, where Brittany and Jared began recording their first video. “It was Jared’s first time going, so it was fun to kinda watch him get to experience everything for the first time.” Thankfully, Brittany and Jared were also equipped to not only experience the magic of Disney World together, but were also able to document and preserve it as well. “My dad just happened to give us a point-and-shoot camera for our wedding present, and we just waltzed around and recorded everything we did for fun and posted it to YouTube.”

Little did they know that doing this would quickly become an enormous part of their lives. After posting their vacation online, many viewers reached out to Richardson for advice on how they planned their trip, and any tips for Disney-travel in general. “That’s why we started our YouTube channel, Disney at Heart. So many people came to me asking ‘How did you get to do this trip to Disney like this? How were you able to make it affordable? How did you find all of these great hole-in-the-wall spots in the park to go?’”

Richardson said that answering these questions is the primary purpose behind Disney at Heart. “We wanted to help other people navigate Disney and inspire them to plan their own vacations. It’s VERY difficult to “wing” Disney if you’ve never been. It’s huge and there’s so much in it to explore, but it can be overwhelming for some.”

Now with over 18,000 subscribers, Richardson explained that Disney at Heart has given her many of the blessings she has today. The couple decided to post their videos every Monday in order to make an encouraging start to the week. “Mondays are everyone’s least favorite day, so we decided to post our new videos on that day to give people something to look forward to.”
Just as their followers enjoy watching them, the couple also enjoy connecting with their followers. “I’ve met some of my best friends—most of them are other YouTubers—through doing this,” says Richardson. “I’ve discovered such an encouraging community.”

After the success and steady growth of their YouTube channel, Richardson also discovered another creative outlet to use for her love of Disney. “My grandmother, Bettye Gardner, taught me to sew when I was a little girl. She had this really old 1900s sewing machine, and she’d tell me to grab a paper towel and draw something on it, and then sew it. This is how I learned how to sew and begin my creativity—I got to learn through my own designs and drawings.”

Mouse ears are the most recognizable symbols of Disney, and for Richardson, they’re much more. “Walt Disney himself is such an inspiration. He strived to do what nobody had done before, and he encourages me to strengthen and pursue my own imagination and creativity.” She remembers wearing mouse ears in the park for the first time, saying: “I got my first pair of black sequin ears and fell in love with them immediately.”

Her lessons from her grandmother eventually came in handy. On January 30th, 2016, Richardson made her first pair of ears in her home. “I ended up buying this Marvel shirt that was on sale at Rue21, and ran an errand right after that to Hancock Fabrics. I ended up finding a matching fabric for my brand new shirt, and since Disney owns Marvel I decided to use it. That night I decided to cut it up, sew it, and turn it into a pair of ears. I posted it on my Instagram and I was surprised to get some pretty amazing and encouraging feedback.”

After receiving an overwhelming amount of positive critiques, the next day she and Jared went to Walmart to buy fabric and begin creating more. Having only a little amount of money at the time, they purchased a $60 sewing machine, investing almost all of their remaining funds into the machine and fabric. “Ever since then I’ve been designing and selling ears,” says Richardson. “All it took to begin building my business was a $60 sewing machine!”

Almost overnight, Main Street Ears was born. Taking all of her inspiration from Disney World, Richardson even decided to name her business after a street in the park. She revealed that she wanted her business to have the same exciting and enchanting vibe as walking on Main Street. “It’s the first, most important street in the park. When you first enter, you walk on Main Street and it’s your welcome into the park. You walk on it and you’re like ‘Wow. This is it. I’m here.’”

Not only do her ears provide the same feeling of awe, they’re also comfortable, colorful, and unique. In comparison to many of the ears sold in the park, Richardson constructs hers to be thicker, sturdier, and more endurable than the moderate ones available in Disney World. “We wrap the headband with fabric so there’s no plastic constantly poking you when you’re wearing them,” Richardson explains.

Richardson also ensures that they aren’t super tight fitting, making it comfortable to wear with glasses, sunglasses, or on their own. With their cozy feel, Richardson’s ears not only make a fun fashion statement, but their durability makes for an enjoyable accessory. Main Street Ears has design options available for almost everyone, with patterns like floral, plaid, character-themed, holiday-themed, sequin, and even velvet ears.
In order to sell the ears, Richardson opens her shop once a month to take in orders. Focusing on quality over quantity, Richardson stated that she believes in investing in each pair of ears that she makes. “I normally only take around 50 orders a month. Each pair takes a little bit for me to make.”

For the past three years, Richardson has been using Main Street Ears to pass down Disney magic to her clients. “I’m so blessed to be able to do this, to do what I love. The fact that I get to be creative and do what I love for a living out of the comfort of my own home…I’m very thankful.”

Taking a moment to reflect on her current achievements, Richardson hopes she can inspire others the way that so many have already inspired her. “Even if we can’t see it, God has a plan for us all, so perfectly mapped out…mine just happened to include making magic.”

She also recalls one of her favorite, most-inspiring Walt Disney quotes: “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

To get more information on Main Street Ears, visit www.mainstreetears.com. To keep up with shop updates and specials, follow Main Street Ears on Facebook (@MainStreetEars) and Instagram (@mainstreetears).